Decontamination (Decon)
Schulz Electric is licensed by the NRC to decontaminate motors to unconditional free-release status. Schulz Radiation Workers have undergone training and have all passed a written examination. Routine monitoring for radioactive contamination is performed throughout the entire Schulz facility. Along with the radiation safety officer, trained radiation workers receive and survey incoming motors that are potentially contaminated.
Schulz Electric's decontamination facility is a 1650-ft2 restricted area where licensed material is received and decontaminated. Two thirds of this restricted area is the decontamination area. One third of the restricted area is a radiologically clean transition, storage, and dress area. All walls in the decontamination area are sheathed in 20 foot high stainless steel.
Methods of Decontamination:
- Bead blasting
- Cryogenics
- Steam cleaning
- Non-destructive
- Paint stripping
- Hand cleaning
Steel Decontamination Pad
Located inside the Decon Area is a 10-foot by 10-foot steel grid Decon Pad, on which motors are placed during steam cleaning. Underneath is a catch tank approximately 8 inches deep.
Condensate Collection
Condensate collected in the catch tank is pumped through a filter and a mixed-resin bed to a holding tank. This tank will be sampled periodically, and if it meets the radiological release criteria is sent to the building wastewater holding tank.
HEPA Filtered Ventilation
A HEPA filtered ventilation system takes suction on the Decontamination Area and discharges 85% of the filtered air back into the clean dress area. The remaining 15% of the filtered air is discharged to the environment. The discharge stack is equipped with an isokinetic probe, in-line air sampler to collect a representative sample of discharged air.
Air Concentrations
Air discharges will be held to less than the concentrations listed in 10CFR20 Appendix B, Table 2, Column 1. Records of all discharges of licensed material to air is maintained. The HEPA ventilation system runs, at a minimum, during sandblasting operations or when other dry decontamination methods are in use.
